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PARTLY CLOUDY 68 • 55 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 | theworldlink.com
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2nd virus hospitalization reported JILLIAN WARD The World
COOS COUNTY — A second COVID-19 patient has been hospitalized in Coos County. New cases are also being reported by Coos Health and Wellness. As of Tuesday, the county had a total of 47 cases, with 10 presumptive positive cases. When asked if the new hospitalized patient was connected to the two outbreaks of the new coronavirus, Coos Health and Wellness Incident Commander Eric Gleason said he wasn’t sure yet. “… We’re still trying to track
details down,” he said. “I don’t know if they were related to either outbreak.” Gleason also said there was no update on the first hospitalized COVID-19 patient, who was last reported being in the ICU at Bay Area Hospital. On Wednesday, Gov. Kate Brown’s new pandemic restrictions go into effect to slow the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across the state. The new mandate requires the public to wear masks outdoors as well as indoors, while also restricting group gatherings to 10 people. However, this does not apply to workplaces or churches.
Gleason said plans to enforce the new mandate have not been decided by the state yet. “We as Public Health don’t have the capacity to enforce these types of things, but rather educate as best we can,” he said, though adding that if anyone feels a business is being unsafe by not following the mandate then complaints can be potentially be made to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Of course, no formal enforcement or complaint process has been announced so far. To employees tasked with enforcing the mask rule at
various businesses in the county, Gleason acknowledged that it is “hard to tell people ‘no’ in general.” “It’s not easy to ask people to make a harder decision,” he said. “The easiest decision is to let it go versus to tell someone you have to wear a mask or leave because the reaction could be visceral. The problem is … we won’t be able to remain open as a community if we aren’t willing to have the hard conversation.” He said from a community standpoint, “it makes sense to work together” to keep businesses open than to have the county
move backwards toward another shutdown. “We have a lot of tourism,” he pointed out. “People are coming here because we’re a destination and you don’t know who the person is coming through the door or where they’ve been.” But wearing masks, he said, protect the people around you and if they wear masks then you are protected in return. If the virus’ spread is slowed, “we can afford to stay open.” “… (The) alternative is our cases keep going up and go up faster,” Gleason said. “And then we have to go backwards.”
Gov. Brown announces new terms for gatherings
LTOB celebrates July Jubilee
The World
World file photo
Coos Bay firefighters participate in the parade during the 2019 annual July Jubilee in downtown North Bend. This year’s July Jubilee has been canceled, but Little Theatre on the Bay is offering an online variety show premiering Friday, July 17, to celebrate. “The (on)line show must go on!” an LTOB spokesperson said. For details on how to watch the show, see page A3.
Chaotic protests prompt soul-searching PORTLAND (AP) — Nearly two months of nightly protests that have devolved into violent clashes with police have prompted soul-searching in Portland, Oregon, a city that prides itself on its progressive reputation but is increasingly polarized over how to handle the unrest. President Donald Trump recently deployed federal agents to “quell” the demonstrations in Portland that began after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, shining an unwelcome spotlight as the city struggles to find a way forward. The national attention comes as divisions deepen among elected officials about the legitimacy of the more violent protests — striking at the heart of Portland’s identity as an ultraliberal haven where protest is seen as a badge of honor. “I was born and raised here, and I’m a graduate of the local public school system. I chose to make my livelihood here, I chose to raise my daughter here,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has faced criticism from all sides. “And in all the years that I have lived here, I have never seen the community more divided. Nor have I seen it look worse.” Small groups of protesters have set fires, launched fireworks and sprayed graffiti on public buildings, including police precincts and the federal courthouse, leading to nearly nightly clashes with police who have used force that’s caused
injuries. Similar unrest engulfed many U.S. cities when Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck on May 25. But in Portland, which is familiar ground for the loosely organized, far-left activists known as “antifa,” or anti-fascists, the protests never stopped. Lost in the debate are the downtown businesses racking up millions in property damage and lost sales and the voices of the hundreds of thousands of Portland residents who have stayed off the streets. “The impact is terrible because what people have seen on the TV ... has scared people who live outside the downtown. They feel it’s that way 24 hours a day,” said David Margulis, who said the protests have caused sales at his jewelry store to drop more than 50%. “I talk to people, on the phone, who tell me: ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever come downtown again.’” Soon after Floyd’s death, diverse crowds of thousands took to the streets every night for peaceful marches and rallies, filling a bridge that spans the Willamette River on several nights. Smaller groups, however, quickly turned to vandalism. Police have arrested dozens of people, dispersing protesters with tear gas on multiple occasions. Federal law enforcement officers sent in two weeks ago by Trump to stop the unrest have further inflamed tensions, particularly after one protester was critically injured when a
federal agent fired a non-lethal round at his head. The mayor and police have repeatedly decried the clashes as a destructive distraction from the Black Lives Matter movement and make a sharp distinction between peaceful demonstrators and those bent on engaging with authorities, whom the police call “agitators.” Other officials, including several city commissioners, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon’s House speaker, have criticized the police for being too aggressive. It’s become a cycle of unrest, police response and further outrage. “Each night’s protest is now turning into a protest of the night before’s police activity. And so when people say we want this to stop, it can’t stop because today’s protest will be about what the feds or the Portland Police Bureau did yesterday,” said Gregory McKelvey, an activist and critic of the police response. “There’s really this battle that we’re having right now — a communications war over who’s a ‘good protester’ and who’s a ‘bad protester.’ And what the police and the mayor are trying to do is turn the city against the people that are out protesting,” he said. Some members of the Black community, which makes up less than 6% of Portland’s population, say the continual clashes with police — including in a historically Black part of the city — are distracting from the
message of racial justice. “It’s very clear to me that this is not about accomplishing goals. This is about anarchy, and people are taking advantage of the demonstrations for their own reasons that have nothing to do with social justice,” said Ron Herndon, a prominent civil rights activist. “Any support you think you could get, you probably have lost from a lot of people because you have negatively impacted their lives.” Jo Ann Hardesty, the first Black woman on Portland’s City Council, said protesters don’t need to destroy property to effect change but believes the violence is a reaction to a newfound understanding, particularly among white people, about “how abusive the police can be.” Nevertheless, Hardesty, who has dedicated her career to police reform, is confident Portland will come out of this stronger. She’s working to get a measure before voters — circumventing the powerful police union — to create an independent police review board. She also led a push last month to cut $27 million from the police budget. “We have to all figure out, how do we move the city forward? What we know is that we can’t protest forever and ever. And what we know is that people want real change,” Hardesty said. “I think the more we invite people in, the less disruption we’ll see on our streets.”
PORTLAND — In response to the alarming rise in COVID-19 case counts across Oregon over the last several weeks, Gov. Kate Brown on Monday announced new requirements for face coverings and limits on social get-togethers. Effective Wednesday, July 15, Oregon’s face covering requirement will be expanded to apply to outdoor public spaces when six feet of distance cannot be maintained. In addition, indoor social get-togethers of more than 10 people will be prohibited. The gathering limit applies only to indoor social get-togethers. This new rule does not change the operation of businesses or churches at this time. Gov. Brown noted that failure to comply with the new requirements would lead to more outbreaks of COVID-19 and more restrictive closures with greater impact on Oregon’s economies, communities, health care systems, and families. “We need to do absolutely everything we can to reduce transmission in ways that do not require us to close down businesses again,” said Gov. Brown. “The proof here will be in the numbers. Either people will adhere to this requirement and be a positive force for stopping COVID-19, or I will be forced to take more restrictive measures.” “It all depends on you. Your choices determine our future.” Gov. Brown shared the following facts about COVID-19 in Oregon: Oregon reported more cases in the past week than in the entire month of May. The last time Oregon had less than 100 cases in a single day was more than a month ago. Half of all cases in Oregon are from people under the age of 40 and one third of all cases are from people under the age of 30. Currently, people in their 20s and 30s are the most likely group to get sick with COVID-19. Two Oregonians in their 30s have died from COVID-19. A recording of the Governor’s press conference from Monday, July 13, is available here. A full transcript of the Governor’s remarks from Monday, July 13, is available here. Updated face covering and indoor social get-together guidance will be posted to coronavirus.oregon.gov.